Chaos reigns at Uhud Hospital housing

Throw-away cartons and other garbage accumulate in a room inside the staff housing of Uhud Hospital in Madinah.

MADINAH — Doctors and nurses at Uhud Hospital in Madinah are reportedly living in run-down housing infested by cats and insects.

The building is not worthy of a health facility and contradicts royal directives that stipulate employees, doctors and nurses live in good accommodation and provided with good services, Al-Madinah daily reported.

Occupants said the building is dilapidated and poses a real danger to them, especially as the air conditioning and ventilation are poor and water is leaking from the ceilings and walls.

Insects roam the hallways and bathrooms, kitchens are badly maintained and electrical wires hang dangerously from ceilings, they said. The building houses more than 190 nurses and four doctors, who described their situation as a “tragedy” and said the building lacks the basic necessities.

They said the hanging electricity cables represent a fire hazard, while the cats freely roaming the building may transmit diseases.

They criticized the piling garbage and unsuitable bathrooms and called for quick solutions to the problem.

One of the nurses said residents are complaining of the low level of cleanliness in the housing courtyard, laundry section and bathrooms, in addition to the cramped rooms.

She added cleaning workers visit the accommodation only once in a while, resulting in garbage pileups and the spread of insects that may transmit diseases to the residents, who may transmit these diseases to patients in turn.

Another nurse said she feels relieved when she leaves the building to go to work, as the current condition of the building is unbearable.

She noted residents have submitted many complaints to the hospital management to deal with the problems in the housing, but nobody has listened.

A nurse said residents are apprehensive of the electricity transformers, air conditioners and lighting in the building, in addition to the cramped rooms that lack any services except for a very small kitchen.

Another said that there are no emergency exits in the building and that the narrow stairs are their only way out of the building.

Other nurses complained of the bathroom fittings that have deteriorated, broken, or rusted, and that the building’s outside doors do not close properly and are tied with ropes.

They noted the building is over 30 years old and is unsuitable to live and is vulnerable to thieves due to the lack of security and protection measures.

Spokesman for Madinah Civil Defense Col. Khalid Al-Juhani said there have been no complaints from the hospital regarding the condition of the housing over the past two years.